


The Tale of Young Iron Fist from Kun Lun

by snowynight



Category: Immortal Iron Fist, Táng Cháo | Tang Dynasty RPF
Genre: Action/Adventure, Chinese Character, Chromatic Source, Don't Have to Know Canon, Female Character of Color, Gen, Rare Characters, Rare Fandoms, Women Being Awesome, Wuxia, reverse yuletide madness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-20
Updated: 2010-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-13 20:07:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/141270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowynight/pseuds/snowynight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which our protagonist goes to Chang An, meets the top swordswoman in China, answers a challenge, and prevents a disaster.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Tale of Young Iron Fist from Kun Lun

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Muccamukk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Muccamukk/gifts).



> Thanks to my beta Tevildo!

At a hut a girl was combing her hair. A cold wind came in though the window was closed, and there was the sound of a creepy laugh, but the girl didn’t stop her combing.

A man materialised out of nowhere and said, “My pretty, did you wait long for me?” He put a hand on her shoulder and turned the girl around. His expression changed. “Who are you?”

“The one who is about to kill you,” the girl said. The man tried to escape, but she acted much faster. Her hand glowed with light and hit the man’s chest. He screamed in pain and fell on the ground. Then he disappeared and a big dead brown fox appeared at the same place. The girl examined the fox, went outside and said, “You can come in now.”

An old man walked to her from the brushes surrounding the house. He saw the fox and asked shakily, “Did you really kill it?”

“Yes. Don’t worry; it won’t bother your daughter anymore.”

The old man broke into tears. “Thank you, Xi Yue Guniang.”

“Not at all. It’s a xia’s duty.”

“How should I pay you?”

“You can let me and my horse rest for the night.”

“Of course you can.”

The girl smiled and walked straight out to the stable. She started to brush her horse. “Xiao Hung, sleep now. Tomorrow we need to go early.”

* * *

  


The next day Xi Yue rode her horse towards Chang An. _I wonder why my teacher sent me there,_ she thought. Her teacher gave her a letter and told her to go to Chang An to find a person. When she asked for further information, he only said that it was a test for her.

 _Anyway, it’s the first time I’ve left Kun Lun. I will enjoy it as much as I can,_ she thought, and urged her horse to go faster.

The next day she reached Chang An. She stayed at an inn and settled her horse in the stable. The she went out to the street. Crowds of people walked by her, laughing and talking. Hawkers and shopkeepers were shouting to promote their products. Xi Yue had never seen so many people in one place before. The noise and people overwhelmed her. She went to a quieter corner to recover from them, but then she heard shouting, begging and the sound of breaking things at the end of the street. She rushed to the source of the noise and saw several men in black bullying a crying couple in a little shop.

“Give us the money, or we will--” one of them said, kicking over a chair.

Xi Yue got angry and shouted, “There are laws around here! How can you be so insolent?”

A man laughed at her. “Little girl, don’t interfere in Ba Feng Tang’s business!”

She said, “It’s my business when you’re bullying people.”

“Brothers, let’s teach her a lesson!” the one in the middle shouted, and the three of them pounced at her.

Xi Yue stepped away from the first man’s fists. When the second and the third men came at her, she pushed one towards the another and heard the sound of their heads banging together. They held their heads and looked dizzy. She didn’t give them a chance to settle down. Transmitting her chi to her right hand, she used Iron Fist on them. All three people fell to the ground.

The first man’s face turned pale. “Iron Fist?”

“I’m his student. If you are clever, you should run.”

The three men looked at each other and climbed to their feet. The first man said, “We will leave you alone for now, but we will return for you.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Xi Yue said, crossing her arms.

When the three men left, the couple said, “Thank you very much.” Then the wife add worriedly, “But now Ba Feng Tang will be after you.”

Xi Yue smiled. “Don’t worry. Let’s tidy up your shop.” She picked up a chair and felt a job well done.

The couple made Xi Yue stay for a meal, so when she left it was already late afternoon.

Back at the inn, Xi Yue lay on the bed and sighed. She’d always longed to go to Chang An, back when she was in Kun Lun and begged her fellow students to tell her stories about the outside world. From them she always imagined that Chang An was a place where everything could and would happen, unlike Kun Lun where everything was settled in a routine. However, the stories hadn’t prepared her for the reality. She found that she longed for the serenity of Kun Lun and she dearly missed her friends and teacher there. This was the first time she’d left Kun Lun for a place so far away. _Sleep now; tomorrow will be another day._ Soon she fell into sleep.

* * *

  
The next day Xi Yue was on the street when she heard people shouting, “Gun Sun Daniang will come here to perform! Come and see!” _Gun Sun Daniang? This is the person my teacher asked me to find._ She followed the movement of the people and went to an open area. There was already a crowd there. Xi Yue squeezed herself to the front of the crowd and looked at the stage. Her curiosity was piqued. _What’s so special about Gun Sun Daniang?_

“Gung Sun Daniang comes!” the announcer said. A woman aged about thirty went out on the stage. Her skin had a healthy tone and she looked handsome in her tight shirt and pants with two swords in her hands. The audience gathered like moths to the fire, yet only the sound of breathing was heard. Gun Sun Daniang bowed; then she raised her sword.

At once Xi Yue felt as if a mountain was sitting on her. She looked at the crowd around her, and from their grave expressions she saw that they felt it too. Her eyes stuck to Gun Sun Daniang’s every movement. When Gun Sun Daniang waved her sword and danced, she was as fast as Yui shooting the nine suns down. When she jumped, it was as if she became the dragon god flying in the sky. When she pounced, Xi Yue shivered, as if hearing thunder. When she stopped, the action was as swift as lightning striking the sea. Only then did the crowd remember to cheer, and it was deafening. It woke Xi Yue out of the dream woven by Gun Sun Daniang’s dance, and she cheered loudly along with the audience. Gun Sun Daniang smiled, put her swords into their sheathes, and stepped away from the stage. The crowd started to move but Xi Yue lingered. _It was amazing._

* * *

  
After the performance Xi Yue went behind the stage to find Gun Sun Daniang. The guard looked at her and said, “I can’t allow strangers to go in.”

Xi Yue slipped him some money, put on the dove-like eyes that she used to placate her teacher and said, “Please, I won’t cause any trouble.” The guard put the money into his belt, looked around and moved aside to let her enter.

“Thank you.” Xi Yue immediately grabbed the chance. _It’s useful to be a girl sometimes._ Gun Sun Daniang was already inside, idly playing with her swords.

“Gun Sun Daniang! Sorry for interrupting you, but I have a letter for you.” Xi Yue walked to her and greeted her.

Gun Sun Daniang turned to her. “Who are you, and where does this letter come from?”

“I am Iron Fist’s student, Xi Yue, and he told me to bring a letter to you,” Xi Yue said.

Gun Sun Daniang nodded. “I see.” She took the letter, and opened and read it. Xi Yue stood aside and waited.

“You must have taken a long journey. Why don’t you stay with me for a while?” Gun Sun Daniang put down the letter.

Xi Yue asked, “Thank you for your offer. What did my teacher say?”

“He didn’t tell you, did he? It’s so much like him. The matter is complicated. We can discuss it later. Where is your baggage? ”

“I left it in a room at the inn. I only came here yesterday,” Xi Yue said.

“I can’t let my old friend’s student stay at an inn. Come with me, and I will explain to you at dinner.”

“I have a horse,” Xi Yue said.

“It’s all right. It can stay with ours.”

“Thank you,” Xi Yue said. Her curiosity was piqued by her teacher’s letter, and she really wanted to know Gun Sun Daniang more. Her teacher must have held high regard for Gun Sun Daniang, and Xi Yue was sure she could learn a lot from her.

Gun Sun Daniang told one of her waiting servants, “Qing Qing, go with Xi Yue Guniang here and lead her to my residence.”

“Yes, Daniang,” Qing Qing answered. She looked younger than Xi Yue and had a round smiling face.

Xi Yue said to Gun Sun Daniang, “Thank you. I am looking forward to seeing you at dinner.”

“See you then,” Gun Sun Daniang replied.

Xi Yue led Qing Qing to the inn. On her way she tried to make small talk with Qing Qing, but Qing Qing only smiled and blushed. _Perhaps she isn’t used to strangers._ Soon they returned to the inn.

* * *

  
Before entering the inn she heard a man shouting, “Iron Fist, this time you can’t get away! Come to face us!” A crowd had gathered at the inn.

“Who are these people?” Xi Yue asked one of the spectators.

The spectator replied, “They’re members of Ba Feng Tang. Rushed in there earlier and refused to leave, shouting for Iron Fist. They must have some grief with the guy.”

Xi Yue squeezed through the crowd to the front. A man was holding the innkeeper by his collar. “Where is Iron Fist?”

The owner murmured, “I don’t know who he is.”

Most customers had already run away from the scene, and the inn workers were nowhere to be seen, probably escaped to a safer place. There was a man lying on the table, seemingly undisturbed by the noise, with a cup still in his hand. _He must be a drunk._ Qing Qing stepped back, looking afraid.

“Qing Qing, stay away,” Xi Yue ordered. She went into the inn and said, “Put the owner down. I am the person you want.”

“What, a little girl?” one of them sneered.

“I can still beat you,” Xi Yue held her fist.

“All right. Little girl, we are here to teach you a lesson. No one can get away from Ba Feng Tang.”

“Really?” Xi Yue smirked.

At this moment the drunk man got up, raising his cup and putting it down again, and said, “You are too loud here, and where are the waiters?”

“Don’t interfere, drunk man,” one of the men said.

The man stood up shakily, a sword hanging at his waist, and murmured, “To sing the Liangfu song, when will I see the spring?”

The men looked at each other. “Well, you wanna do it the hard way?” They stepped forward.

“Leave him alone. Your opponent is me,” Xi Yue said.

The drunk glanced at the men and suggested, “Perhaps you should leave the girl alone, too.”

“You want it the hard way, right?” one man said, and raised his sword and pounced on him. The other men gathered around Xi Yue.

Xi Yue wanted to save the drunk, but the men prevented her from coming to his aid. Just when she thought a tragedy would happen, he stumbled, pulled his sword out of its sheath, and parried the first man’s sword. He fell but waved his sword right at the man’s waist. The man stopped dead.

He yelled, “Come and help me!”

Another two men left Xi Yue for the drunk, leaving four men surrounding her. Xi Yue immediately kicked the sword of one of the men out of his hand, and pulled another man over her shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the drunk man rolling on the ground and hitting another on the leg. Each movement of his seemed random, drunken, and illogical, yet when Xi Yue looked further there was a sort of rhythm in his every move. He clearly could hold his own, so Xi Yue focused on her fight. She hit a man on the chest and kicked another on the head. Soon the men were groaning on the ground.

One of them angrily asked the drunk man, “Who are you?”

“As for Li Bai, give him a jugful, / He will write one hundred poems. / He drowses in a wine shop / On a city street in Chang-an; / And though his sovereign calls, / He will not board the imperial barge. / “Please your majesty”, he says, / “I am a God of wine”.” the man slurred, using the sword as a crutch.

“The man is Li Bai, a government official.” One of the men pulled another’s sleeve.

“A government official? All right, we will go now, but don’t think you can avoid us forever,” the first man said. They climbed to their feet and left through the crowd. Xi Yue heard a cheer.

She went to the drunk man. “Thanks for your help.”

The man collapsed on the ground. Xi Yue pulled him up and put him on a chair. He was surprisingly light.

“Where’s the waiter? I need more wine.” The man looked up with drunken eyes.

Xi Yue found the drunk man amusing yet frustrating. However this man had helped her, and her teacher taught her to be polite. “I will fetch one.”

She saw a waiter hiding in a corner and waved at him. The young man went out of his hiding place, walked to the man and said, “What do you need, Li Daren?”

“I’ll have more sheng of Xin Feng wine.”

“Yes, Li Daren.” the young man returned to the kitchen.

Apparently this drunk man was completely wasted. Xi Yue paid her bill, met Qing Qing outside, who now looked at her starry-eyed, fetched Xiao Hung, and went to Gun Sun Daniang’s house.

* * *

  
Over dinner Xi Yue told Gun Sun Daniang about her journey and these two days’ adventure. Gun Sun Daniang didn’t blink at her fight, but only commented, “So you met Li Daren and got yourself Ba Feng Tang as an enemy. No mean feat in two days.”

Feeling embarrassed, Xi Yue asked, “I didn’t mean to do it. Do you know Li Daren, too?”

“I’ve seen him at court. He is a very famous poet.”

 _Gun Sun Daniang had even performed at court!_ Xi Yue admired her even more, and asked, “That’s great! What’s the palace like? Did you see the Emperor?”

“The palace is big, opulent, and lonely. I saw His Highness several times, from afar.” Gun Sun Daniang changed the topic. “By the way, Ba Feng Tang may cause trouble for you. It is a very powerful gang here.”

Xi Yue said, “I will be careful.”

“Now let’s talk about the matter of the letter.” Gun Sun Daniang looked serious. “You said you met a yao gui near Chang An, right? Recently they’ve been roaming the city. Even the palace is not free from them.”

“That should be impossible,” Xi Yue said. She remembered her teacher telling her that powerful Taoists had set up a shield here to protect Chang An from demons, yao gui and spirits. Besides, it’s where the Emperor lives, and shouldn’t he be protected by all kinds of deities?

“We thought so, but it happened. We suspect that someone or some organisation disturbed the shield protecting Chang An. If so, we need to repair it. I wrote to your teacher asking for his help about this.”

“What can I do to help?”

“To repair the shield we need four people. As you’re the future Iron Fist, you must have learnt how to use the Fist. It will be necessary when we repair the shield.”

Xi Yue felt the weight of duty on her shoulders. “I will do my best.”

“I’m sure you will. Your teacher spoke highly of you, and he must have believed you enough to send you alone.”

“Thank you.”

Gun Sun Daniang said, ”It’s late now. You should take a rest.”

The next day Xi Yue was woken out of her sleep by shouts and screaming. She jumped out of bed, put on her clothes, took her sword and ran to the living room. Gun Sun Daniang was already there. A stout man of about forty led a group of men and stood eye to eye with her.

“What are you doing here?” Gun Sun Daniang asked with an icy tone.

The man answered, “I came for the Iron Fist. He owes me a debt.”

“Why do you want to find Iron Fist?” Xi Yue interrupted.

“Who are you?” he asked. Then one of the men behind him whispered in his ear. He seemed to be in shock and said, “Why, you are the next Iron Fist? The old guy can’t get a better student?”

“I am the future Iron Fist, and don’t insult my teacher.”

“Well, I don’t want people to say I bully little girls, but...”

“I am not a little girl,” Xi Yue said. She held her fist tight.

“I repeat: what are you doing here?” Gun Sun Daniang asked.

“Twenty years ago the old Iron Fist arranged for a fight with me today, but I never saw him again. Then I heard about someone using Iron Fist on Chang An street so I came here to look for the person. But I only found a little girl. Is the Iron Fist too scared of me to come?”

“My teacher won’t be afraid of you, and I can beat you in a fight.”

“Really? Then let’s meet again two days later,” the man said; then he left with his people.

“You have to be careful,” Gun Sun Daniang said worriedly. “The man is called Yang Dao. He has the ears of the leader of Ba Feng Tang. He’s very tough.”

“I can’t let him sully my teacher’s name.”

“He’ll be glad to have a student like you. Now let’s have breakfast. You need to rest and eat to prepare yourself.”

In these two days Xi Yue practiced her Iron Fist in the garden. She practiced and practiced and thought about her strategy.

On the appointed day, an invitation letter came and there was a horse cart to take her to the headquarters of Ba Sing Tang. The place was big and built with very good wood, but the colour was very loud. She followed a servant through the corridors and into the garden. Her heart beat faster. It was the first challenge she would fight, not to mention fighting in her teacher’s name.

“I thought you’d be too scared to show up,” Yang Dao said.

Xi Yue answered, “I’m not.”

“If you can make me step back more than three steps, you win.”

Xi Yue was annoyed. _He really looks down on me. I will prove him wrong._ She settled into a waiting position and watched Yang Dao’s every move, assessing him. From the way he stood he could be a formidable opponent, but she was determined to win.

“Come!” Yang Dao shouted. His voice was so strong that her ears hurt.

Xi Yue stayed in her position. She was young and relatively unknown so she wouldn’t lose face by waiting. Yang Dao, on the other hand, would be pressured against staying still. She needed to wait for Yang Dao to get frustrated and looked for his weakness.

She was right. Yang Dao couldn’t stand waiting any longer and pounced on her. Xi Yue immediately found out the pivotal point in Yang Dao and used his force against him. Yang Dao clearly didn’t expect it and stumbled. Xi Yue took the chance and tried to throw him over, but he proved much stronger than her fellow students. Instead, Yang Dao tried to thump her on the head but Xi Yue stepped away, focused some of her chi in her hand and used Iron Fist on him. Yang Dao stumbled three steps back.

When Xi Yue prepared to pounce, Yang Dao raised his hand and said, “Stop now.” He said admiringly, “You are really tough for a girl.”

Xi Yue felt frustrated. _Why do men always say that?_

Yang Dao looked around the crowd. “Listen, I like this girl. Don’t trouble her from now on.”

The crowd shouted, “Yes, sir !”

 _This guy doesn’t seem so horrible now._ Xi Yue thought.

* * *

  
Back at Gun Sun Daniang’s residence, Gun Sun Daniang congratulated her on her victory and said, “Tonight we are going to investigate. Come with me and see the person who will join us.”

Xi Yue followed her to a room and saw a familiar man. She shouted in surprise, “Li Daren!”

“Hello,” Li Daren said

“I see that you have met before, but let me make a formal introduction. Li Xiong, this is Xi Yue Guniang, the future Iron Fist. Xi Yue, this is Li Daren.”

“Just call me Tai Bai. I am not at court now, so there’s no need to call me Daren.”

“Hello, Tai Bai Xiong,” Xi Yue said.

Tai Bai smiled at Xi Yue. “You are a very good fighter. I’m not surprised that you were chosen as the future Iron Fist.”

Xi Yue said, “Thank you.”

“How should we start?” Tai Bai asked Gun Sun Daniang.

“We should start from the west of the city first. There was a report that the strange phenomenon started there.”

Tai Bai said, “All right; lead us.”

 _We’re really starting to investigate the mystery. What’ll we discover?_ Xi Yue thought with excitement.

* * *

  
Xi Yue had been to the west of the city and was very impressed with the busy market there. But now deep at night the streets were silent, and there was no sight of people, reminding Xi Yue of a ghost city. She couldn’t help but shiver. Then she looked around to see if anyone noticed. Fortunately Gun Sun Daniang and Tai Bai didn’t seem to notice. They moved so fast that they reminded her of sparrows in the sky and Xi Yue had to strive to follow them. Finally they arrived at a big house.

“Here we go,” Gun Sun Daniang whispered. Xi Yue felt a sense of anticipation. Gun Sun Daniang jumped over the wall and the others followed her. She explained, “This house is abandoned. Rumour has it that a government official and his family hanged themselves when he was about to be caught by the police. Sounds of crying and swearing can be heard here. The heavy presence of yin chi makes this place ideal for conducting evil rituals. Let’s search the house. You take the left, I’ll take the middle and Li Xiong the right. Shout to let us know you have a discovery.”

“I told you calling me Tai Bai’s all right,” Tai Bai said; then he went for the right.

Xi Yue walked through the corridors and searched the rooms one by one. From the glint of moonlight Xi Yue could see that the furniture were of good condition, but there was a heavy layer of dust on the surface and spiders’ webs could be found in the corners. Finally she arrived at a room and saw a shadow of a woman coming out of it.

 _Is that Gun Sun Daniang?_ Xi Yue wanted to ask, but paused. The shadow moved out and Xi Yue was sure it was not her. She remembered what Gun Sun Daniang had said and thought, _Is it one of the dead people?_ She debated whether to notify the others but decided to investigate first. The shadow moved out of the room and went forward. She followed the smoke and passed through several corridors. Finally she crept down the stairs and went into a dungeon. Down there the shape of the shadow become more concrete. Xi Yue sniffed. There was something smelly here.

Xi Yue’s heart beat faster, but she gathered her courage to ask, “I come in peace. Can I help you?”

A sound emitted from the shadow, and when Xi Yue came forward she found that it seemed to be crying.

“Please tell me what you want,” Xi Yue begged.

The ghost pointed at a corner. When Xi Yue went there, the ghost disappeared.

Xi Yue could vaguely see something there but the light wasn’t bright enough. She took a match from her belt and lit it. Then she swallowed a scream. There was a stain of dried blood and several dry bodies, their expression fixed in fear and pain. Bones were scattered here, and under the ashes Xi Yue found the remains of yellow papers with signs of curse. She examined them further and found them relatively new. Xi Yue drew her eyebrows together. She believed that she was making a breakthrough here.

She walked back upstairs, found Gun Sun Daniang and Tai Bai, and led them down there. They both frowned at the scene. Gun Sun Daniang carefully examined the things on the ground and said, “Someone or several people must have conducted a ritual here. Li Xiong, can you identify it?”

“I’m not sure, but it looks like a summoning ritual. I guess some people summoned something more powerful than they could handle. By the way, how did you discover this place, Xi Yue?”

Xi Yue told them about the ghost, and Gun Sun Daniang said, “Tomorrow we should arrange for some Taoist monks to come here to help the ghosts rest in peace.”

They walked back to Gun Sun Daniang’s house and rested.

* * *

  
Next morning, Xi Yue saw a Taoist priest at the breakfast table. “How should I address you?” she asked.

“This is Shi Ma Daozhang. Daozhang, this is Xi Yue, the future Iron Fist.” Gun Sun Daniang said.

Xi Yue greeted him, “Hello, Daozhang.”

“Daniang, you talked about the ritual site you discovered last night.”

“Yes, we hope you can help us to find out what it is.”

“Of course I will help. Let’s go after we have breakfast.”

* * *

  
At the dungeon Shi Ma Daozhang glared at the discovery. “I think I recognise it. Those people must have tried to summon a yao gui here. That should be the cause of the disturbance at Chang An. ”

“What should we do to help?” Gun Sun Daniang asked.

“I will conduct a ritual to find out more and discover where the yao gui was. Then I will send you a letter about the result.”

Gun Sun Daniang said, “Thank you.”

* * *

  
Over the next few days Xi Yue was busy. She went in the streets, collected rumours and helped gather clues about who the summoners were. Things were getting more serious. A family was killed overnight with their blood drained dry. Water in wells turned into blood. There was hail in winter. Finally they got the result. Gun Sun Daniang looked at the name and said, “Let’s go!”

That night they went to a house on East Street. Gun Sun Daniang guided Xi Yue through the patrol of guards, avoided the servants in the corridors and went to the main bedroom. They hid in the shadows until a pale and depressed man entered it. The man didn’t notice them, but sat on a chair and sighed.

Gun Sun Daniang signalled to Xi Yu to keep silent; then she asked, “Zhao Daren, remembering the bad things you did?”

“Who are you?” The man stood up and looked around.

Gun Sun Daniang said, “I know what you did two months ago.”

“You know? I...” the man fell down into his seat.

“I think you should admit everything. It’s the only chance to save yourself and Chang An.”

“All right. I really never expected this to happen, I swear.”

The man started his story. He was a government official who lost the Emperor’s favour due to the rise of Li Lin Fu and Yang Guo Zhong, and always wanted to restore his status. One day an old man came and claimed that he could make his wish come true. At first he thought this was a fraud, but the old man could tell what he was thinking and pulled things out of the air. The old man then taught him a ritual to restore himself in the Emperor’s eyes. Following the old man’s instructions, he came to the famous ghost house to conduct the ritual, but when it was finished a monster appeared out of nowhere, killed his servants and left with a laugh. He didn’t remember how he returned home, but he was ill for a month before he heard about the weird happenings in the city. Fearful and worried, he dared not tell anyone until now.

“You stupid man!” Gun Sun Daniang waved her sleeves, and the man fell down. Xi Yue stepped forward to see what happened, but Gun Sun Daniang said, “Don’t worry, he only fainted. Now we need to go and inform the others”

* * *

  
The next day when Gun Sun Daniang and Xi Yue were having breakfast, Shi Ma Daozhang came in and said, “I know where the yao gui is. It’s outside the city, to the west.”

Gun Sun Daniang said, “Then let’s go!” She sent a servant to fetch Tai Bai. When Tai Bai came they shared a glance, mounted the horses Gun Sun Daniang’s servants prepared and left for the west. On the way Xi Yue could feel the tension emitted from the others. They rode their horses westward and dismounted in front of a plain-looking house.

“Get out, yao gui!” Gun Sun Daniang shouted.

“You humans, always so impatient,” a very sugary voice came out of the house. Xi Yue could almost feel it dripping on her like syrup. The door opened and out came a woman.

The woman was striking. Xi Yue found her eyes sticking to her. The woman’s eyes seemed to be caressing every private part of you, and her lips could tempt the most chaste monk. Xi Yue stumbled forward, but then she thought of her teacher and found the will to resist. Immediately she exercised her inner strength to raise resistance against the woman’s charm. She gazed at the others and saw that they were similarly affected.

“You are all so boring,” the woman smiled. She was playing with a needle in her hands, and suddenly the needle flew out of her hands to stab at Gun Sun Daniang’s neck. Gun Sun Daniang raised her sword to block the needle. The fight started.

Gun Sun Daniang’s attacks were powerful, while Tai Bai’s were fast and light. Shi Ma’s were always pointed at the most unexpected angle, but they all were forced to hold a defensive stance.

The woman was so fast that even though Xi Yue sometimes noticed the weakness in her attack it was impossible to make use of them. Gun Sun Daniang, Tai Bai and Shi Ma Daozhang parried their swords at her, but the woman managed to hold them off in a circle inches-wide around her. A swordsman needed time to wave his sword, but the woman needed only to wave her needle with her fingers so she could be much faster. Xi Yue could see the others starting to sweat. If the situation continued, they would lose. Xi Yue started to sweat too.

Suddenly there was a shout--“Yao Nu, I’ve finally found you!”--and someone else joined the fight. Xi Yue recognised the voice as Yang Dao’s. _Why is he here?_ The woman was distracted and Xi Yue used this chance to attack her. She used Iron Fist on the woman and she stumbled. Other people saw their chance and sped up their attack. The fight was no longer one sided. The woman pouted and jabbed Yang Dao with the needle. Yang Dao screamed, but he stayed in the fight. Finally the fight ended with Gun Sun Daniang pointing her sword at the woman’s neck.

The woman laughed and said, “You think you’re winning? Chaos is coming and everything will go down to hell.”

“Stop talking.” Gun Sun Daniang pushed her sword in and killed her. The woman screamed, vanished and a dead white fox appeared at the same spot.

“Thank you,” Xi Yue told Yang Dao.

“I did not expect it was really a yao gui.” Yang Dao scratched his head.

Gun Sun Daniang asked, “Why did you come then?”

“I found out she was controlling our leader to make a lot of stupid and downright cruel choices. I knew I needed to stop her, so I came to get rid of her. Then you know what happened next. ”

“What do you think about the chaos she was talking about?” Xi Yue asked.

“Do what we are used to. Get rid of the evil and help the righteous,” Tai Bai said. Xi Yue looked at him and found with surprise that he looked really serious.

Xi Yue smiled. The sun shone on her, and at this moment she felt she was at peace.

**Author's Note:**

> Footnote  
> Li Bai was a famous Tang Dynasty poet. "To sing...spring?" comes from one of his early poem. The lines "As for Li Bai, give him a jugful... God of wine" comes from Du Fu 's poem describing him and the source for translation: http://lordsofthedrinks.com/2015/08/06/eight-immortals-of-the-wine-cup-8th-century-poetry-about-the-drunk-elite-in-china/. Tai Bai was his other name.
> 
> Gungsun Daniang (?-?) was a famous sword dancer in Tang Dunasty who performed both at the royal court and in general public. Famous poet Du Fu once saw her dance when he was young and wrote a poem in her memory. Some of the description of her dance comes from the poem.
> 
> Shi Ma Daozhang: Reference to Sima Chengzhen (647-753), a very important and influential Taoist master, well respected by the Emperors then and a friend of Li Bai.
> 
> Li Lin Fu and Yang Guo Zhong: government officials around that period, known for being corrupted and well in the Emperor's favour
> 
> Word List
> 
> Guniang: a form of address to address unmarried girls  
> Xia: honorable martial artists  
> Chang An: The capital of China in Tang Dynasty  
> Daniang: a form of address to address older women  
> Daren: a honorific to address government official  
> sheng: a unit of volume; about 1.5 litre  
> XinFeng: a place famous for its wine  
> Xiong: Meaning literally "Brother", a more casual form to address a man of an older age  
> yao gui: a class of supernatural creatures which can change into human form  
> Daozhang: a honorific to address Taoist Monk


End file.
